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Chateau Canon shows no shy and retiring character in 2010, set to a naturally ripe and high 15% alcohol. Though power and density is a motif in 2010, there is a surprising suppleness in this wine, born from central St-Emillion vineyards and the same family of wine as Chateau Rauzan-Segla of Margaux. Almost evenly split between Merlot and Cabernet Franc usually, it''s three quarters Merlot in 2010; the wine matures in oak barrel for 18 months, with around 70% of those offering new wood character. While dense and compact, there is a succulence to the wine that suggests cellaring to two decades would be apt.

Cos d'Estournel remains today one of the true icons of Bordeaux, and the trademark of Saint Estèphe. With it's pagoda like house (as it's one of the rare Bordeaux's without a Château) it is a must visit for all travelling along the route des châteaux. Always of great reputation, the wines soared in esteem throughout the tenure of Bruno Prats through 1971 to 1998 and continue to this day with their Cabernet Sauvignon based wines of extreme purity and elegance. The 2009 vintage will be highly sought after with the conditions in the left bank region at their very best. Showing a more riper, plump fruit nature than the usual masculine, long-lived trademark, this years Cos will be quick out the door.

On the rise and rise, Chateau Troplong-Mondot is increasingly considered a peer amongst the 1er Grand Cru Classe producers and perseveres with its lavish, luscious, strking wine styles. The wine is produced by Christine Valette in collusion with famed winemaking consultant Michel Rolland, who has been working with the estate since the 1980s, explaining some of the density and power now found in the wine. This 2010 iteration is 90% Merlot and finishes with a balance of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernt Franc. Consider the wine full-flavoured, dense and rich, but with a grace that belies its 15% alcohol

France's Bordeaux, is the spiritual home of the Cabernet family of grapes, which extends beyond Sauvignon and Franc to Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If you love Margaret River Cabernet blends, or indeed the Merlot dominant reds of Hawkes Bay, NZ, then you must look at the wines upon which many of them have been modelled. This wine is Cabernet and Merlot, deep and rich, cassis and earthy cedar, structure and uncommon length - all hallmarks of Grand Cru Bordeaux.